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Inland
Wetlands
Where
are all the Wetlands?
Wetlands
for the Future
People
and Wetlands
Classroom
Activities
Facts
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BOG
Acidic wetland with no appreciable inflow or outflow of water; supports
acid-loving mosses such as sphagnum, plus some shrubs and trees.
Dead plants accumulate and compress, forming peat.
BOTTOMLANDS
Usually
forested low lands in the floodplains of streams and rivers. Also
called riparian wetlands or bottomland hardwood forests.
DELMARVA
or CAROLINA BAY
Name for wetlands in the southeastern U.S. with acidic water in
a basin filled by rain or ground water; may be seasonal, may support
trees or shrubs.
FEN
Similar to bog (some scientists say bog and fen are the same);
receives some water from surrounding mineral soils and supports
marshlike plants, which form peat as they die and compress. In
Northern Europe, called "mire."
MARSH
Fresh, brackish, or saltwater wetlands along rivers, creeks, ponds,
lakes, and coasts; is often or always flooded; supports plants
that grow up out of the water (emergent vegetation).
MIRE
A bog in Northern Europe.
MOOR
European term for one of two kinds of freshwater wetlands. High
moor is a bog; low moor is a wetland in a basin or depression.
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MUSKEG
Common in northern regions such as Alaska and Canada; is an expanse
of very wet peatlands or bogs. Also called subarctic peatlands.
PEATLAND
Any wetland that forms peat, including bog, fen, moor, mire, muskeg.
PLAYA LAKE
Desert
or Great Basin seasonal wetlands formed in depressions; usually
dry by summer; plants are marshlike.
POCOSINS
Bogs in the coastal lowlands of the southeastern U.S.; supports
shrubs.
PRAIRIE
POTHOLES Depressions in the grasslands created by the scraping
action of glaciers. They provide essential nesting and migratory
rest-stops for birds. Confusion: wetlands in glaciated landscapes
other than the prairies, such as the Palouse or mountain valleys-also
have pothole-type wetlands.
RIPARIAN
Wetlands in the channel of a stream or river.
SLOUGH
In the northern U.S., refers to freshwater wetlands that can also
be considered swamps or shallow lakes; in the southeastern U.S.,
refers to wetlands with flowing water, and can also be called
swamps or marshes.
SWAMP
Any freshwater wetland supporting trees and shrubs; often found
along rivers, slow streams, or in depressions.
WET MEADOW
Grassy area with saturated soils but not standing water.
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